Help in Phoenix

[doodlebug45]

On Tuesday night I was parking the bus at a campsite at the Grand Canyon. It was dark and I failed to see a sizeable boulder while making a sharp left turn. It sheared off my sewer connection and wedged under the chassis just in front of the rear wheel well on the driver's side. A small piece of stainless is curled up at the wheel well but the biggest problem seems to be that the panel above is distorted by an inch or so. Getting the sewer connection fixed shouldn't be a big deal but does anybody have suggestions on what to do about the body damage. I could drive over to Prevost in CA but this seems like overkill for the size of the problem. Surely there must be some outfit in the Phoenix area who can handle this kind of thing. Any suggestions other than the rude ones I already heard from Linda would be most appreciated.

Hugh

[Jon Wehrenberg]

What is not visible until the damaged panel is removed is the condition of the frame structure.

Without a photo I can only conclude the damaged area is from the rear of the bay door to the front of the fender ahead of the drive axle. If you look under that area you will see there is not much there. It is an open area from the rear wall of the sewer bay to the rubber fender liner and any structure in that area is only there to hold the stainless panels.

I suspect once you remove the damaged panel a little beating with a hammer and prying with a bar could straighten any damage. Attach some photos.

Replacing bent panels on your 98 involves drilling out pop rivets and installing new ones in the new panel. I would suggest you check with Prevost and International Bus for pricing on the panels. You may need special punching because it is likely Vogue had some electrical or cable and phone connectors installed in the panel.

You may be an award winner. Ask Mango and JDUB for details.

[Danss]

Try Desert West in Phoenix. I purchased my first bus from Wayne at their site. They do repairs.

[flyu2there]

I have to agree that Desert West is your closest and best option.

It is located in downtown Phoenix...I-10, 7th Street off ramp, thru downtown and a half dozen stoplights and traffic and will be on your lef't while heading South.

1243 So. 7th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85034
Phone: (602)340-8287

http://bus-link.net/bus-link.net_services_main_page.html

[doodlebug45]

I'll give Desert West a try. I will try to post pictures Jon as soon as I figure out how. I'm not sure how much they will show because the warping is not that great. It will show where the problem is. I'm a little concerned about the award you mentioned. Is it the "bonehead parking award"? I'm sure I will find out.

Hugh

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Hugh,

The award is known as the "Wide Turn Award" and it is given at each rally. Spearfish in September will be where someone gets it next.

If you wrinkled a little sheet metal and it only happens once you may not be qualified. Some former recipients have done an outstanding job in competing for the award and quite frankly you are a mere babe in the woods compared to the bent metal exploits of some.

I wouldn't race to anybody to get it fixed unless it is worse than it sounds and you have no skills. A hammer, a pop rivet tool, and some time is often all it takes to repair some damage.

[MangoMike]

DB,

Since my name is being used in vane here I thought I post some info on SS repairs.

2853

Here's a little howto in fixing a rub rail on a Liberty.

Add your converter and year to your signature to aid in help.


http://www.prevoman.com/Pages/Panel%20Repair/Panelpg1.html


Mike

[doodlebug45]

I no sooner got my network working than I lost my computer. However, we are back online now but sporadically.

Desert West did a great job, very quickly and fairly priced. These guys are terrific. There is one little piece of SS that is a little wrinkled and I will replace it myself at a later date.